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• Auction House:
  Donington Auctions
• Sale Name:
  Collectors' Motorcycles & Cars (New South Wales)
• Sale Date:
  12 Dec 2021 ~ 12noon (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  13
• Lot Description:
  1922 Beardmore-Precision - Extremely rare 500cc Veteran British sporting motorcycle
  From 1886 until the mid-1930s Sir William Beardmore ran a huge industrial conglomerate in Glasgow, Scotland. His enterprises included steelmaking, armour plate, naval guns, ship building, marine diesels, aircraft, aero engines, high-speed diesel engines, steam locomotives, cars, four different makes of commercial vehicles, and two different motorcycle and motorcycle engine His legendary motto was: "Transport is the thing." The second half of the marque's name came from Frank Baker's Precision Engine Company. Established in Birmingham, England, in 1906, by 1910 Baker had branched out to making motorcycle engines, and was incredibly successful. At the 1911 Olympia Motorcycle Show in London, 96 different motorcycles were fitted with Baker's Precision engines. Soon Baker became the world's largest supplier of specialty motorcycle engines, rivalling the legendary J.A.P. of J.A. Prestwich, and by 1914 was producing 100 engines a week and had expanded to 400 employees. Alongside engines, Baker also had plans to build a complete motorcycle. In 1913 Theo Biggs joined Precision as chief engineer. Biggs had previously held similar posts at Humber and Raleigh, and designed the first complete Precision motorcycle. Powered by a 350cc two-stroke, this was an advanced design with leaf spring suspension front and rear, and a fuel tank that consisted of two steel pressings welded together to form the top structural member of the frame. The heavy plate mudguards acted as components of the suspension system. The First World War interrupted development and in 1919 the Beardmore Aero Engine Company entered into an agreement with Baker and the new bike became the first Beardmore-Precision and was followed by a range of motorcycles from 250cc to 600cc. The Beardmore-Precision was built between 1921 and 1924 and engine types included side-valve singles, a Barr and Stroud sleeve valve model and OHV and OHC works racers. Although Beardmore-Precision enjoyed some success in Trials, winning two gold medals in the 1922 English Six-Days Trial, their attempt to win an Isle of Man TT proved elusive. Despite producing an overhead camshaft four-valve engine, their thirteen attempts between 1922 and 1924 resulted in a best finish of 11th in the 1924 Junior TT. These disappointing results were the final nail in the coffin for the Beardmore-Precision. In 1925, Midland Bank foreclosed on the company and the Beardmore was no more. It's not known exactly how many Beardmore-Precision motorcycles were manufactured during their production run, but it's believed there are currently around 35 examples remaining worldwide. After 1924 Baker set up another company in Birmingham to produce Villiers engines, eventually selling to James in 1930. This 1922 Beardmore is an extremely rare sporting 498cc machine. It is similar in specification to the 1922 Isle of Man racers and includes special fins at the top of the exhaust pipe. Unlike the 350cc Beardmore-Precision this 500 has an internal flywheel. Transmission is by a three-speed Sturmey Archer gearbox and ignition by a BTH magneto. This sporting model doesn't include lighting. It was first registered in England on 25 March 1923 and carries the number plate AO 8730. This motorcycle is being sold unregistered.
• Provenance:
  Bonhams, The Autumn Stafford Sale, Important Pioneer, Vintage, Classic & Collectors' Motorcycles and related Spares and Memorabilia, 14th Oct 2018 Stafford, Staffordshire Country Showground, UK Lot 513, https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/25455/lot/525/?category=list
• Estimate:
  A$16,000 - 22,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.